1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of solid pharmaceutical packaging products and methods. More specifically, the present invention is directed to an improved pharmaceutical product package that can be easily opened by a user and which can also be readily manipulated by automated robotic packaging systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are currently a wide variety of pharmaceutical packaging products that are generally available in a variety of configurations. The majority of these existing solid pharmaceutical packaging products employ a clear plastic cover member that typically has a plurality of bubbles or cavities within which one or more solid pharmaceutical products may be located. Usually, a plurality of cavities are formed in a single sheet of clear plastic material and a piece of backing material is secured to a rear side of the clear plastic cover to seal a solid pharmaceutical product located within each cavity.
During the packaging process, one or more solid pharmaceutical products are inserted into the respective cavity locations formed in the clear plastic member. This clear plastic member is then attached to some type of backing material which is usually comprised of either foil or some type of paper or cardboard backing. The backing material is secured to the cover member with an adhesive. The package is then ready for use by consumers. Individuals are required to remove the backing material in order to gain access to the pharmaceutical located within the cavity when using the pharmaceutical products.
While existing pharmaceutical product packaging solutions are convenient for most people and provide ready identification of the pharmaceutical located within the clear plastic cavity, many people still have difficulty when opening these existing pharmaceutical packaging products. This is especially true when the user has an illness such as arthritis which makes opening the package particularly difficult. Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a pharmaceutical product package that can be readily manufactured but yet which provides the user with easy access to medication located within the package.
Another shortcoming of existing pharmaceutical product packaging solutions is that the existing packages are not particularly suitable for manipulation by automated robotic packaging systems. These automated robotic packaging systems use a variety of different package assembly manipulation systems and a variety techniques for manipulating product packaging materials during the packaging process.
In order to be compatible with these machines, there are several characteristics for the packaging materials that are desirable in order to provide a package that is more suitable for manipulation by automated robotic systems. One particularly desirable feature is that the package should maintain a given orientation so that automated machinery can grasp the package more reliably. Currently, there are no existing packaging solutions that are both well-suited for interaction with automated robotic systems and which also provide a package that can be readily manipulated and opened by a person accessing the pharmaceuticals within the package.
For example, existing packaging solutions cannot be easily manipulated by these systems due to the fact that the packages are not well balanced and they are typically not designed for interaction with the packaging machines. Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a pharmaceutical product package that can be easily manipulated by automated robotic packaging systems. There also remains a need in the art for a pharmaceutical product package that can be readily opened by a person seeking to use the pharmaceutical products stored within the product package. Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following Summary and Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments.
In accordance with the present invention, a pharmaceutical product package employs a clear plastic member that includes at least one cavity within which one or more pharmaceutical products may be located. This cavity is preferably centrally located within the boundaries of the overall package in a lower portion thereof. This lower central location is desirable for interaction with automated robotic packaging systems and for providing easy access to the solid pharmaceuticals stored within the cavity. However, it should be recognized that it is not necessary that the cavity be formed in this location.
The clear plastic member preferably includes one or more additional elongated structural protrusions that extend outward in the same direction as the cavity for housing the pharmaceutical products. These elongated structural protrusions are formed lengthwise parallel to and near the edges of the package. The elongated structural protrusions are preferably located on the external perimeter of the product package. They are desirably formed only at each side and the top of the product package. The elongated structural protrusions increase the strength of the package while also providing balance for the package during the manufacturing process.
The pharmaceutical package of the present invention also desirably includes a central void or opening in the clear plastic material which is preferably located above the cavity for the solid pharmaceutical. The void provides location for receiving a hook or other protruding member for hanging the product package on the hook or other protruding member. The backing material includes a corresponding void or opening that at least substantially matches the opening in the clear plastic material. A tab of backing material extends into the region of the void in the clear plastic material. A person desiring to open the package can readily grasp the protruding tab of backing material that extends into a corresponding void in the backing material formed over the region of the void or opening in the clear plastic material. A person using the product package is thereby able to readily open the pharmaceutical package by simply inserting a finger into the hole and pulling the tab down and away from the clear plastic member.
The backing material also preferably includes scoring or perforations in the backing material that desirably extend downward and angle out from the tab. The scoring or perforations preferably extend to the portion of the backing material that is located over or adjacent to the cavity. When a person opens the product package, the tab is pulled downward thereby tearing the scoring or perforations in the backing material. The scoring or perforations allow the package to be opened more easily.
Another inventive feature of the present invention is that the clear plastic member also further includes at least one support protrusion that preferably extends to substantially a same height as the height of the cavity. Preferably two of these structural supports are formed at or near the upper corners of the product package. The structural supports in conjunction with the cavity may be used to provide balanced support for an adjacent product package. Specifically, the back of an adjacent product package will maintain substantially the same orientation as the supporting package due to the fact that the structural supports are substantially the same height as the cavity.
It will be recognized that although it is preferred that two of these structural supports be formed in the upper opposite comers, it is contemplated that a single structural support protrusion may be formed to accomplish similar results. The structural supports, regardless of their location may be formed as further extensions of the elongated structural protrusions. Specifically, the extension of the clear plastic material for the elongated structural protrusions may have portions that extend further in certain regions for formation of the structural supports. This may be seen in the exemplary embodiments described below. Alternatively, they may be independently formed.